The Old Cascades Blockhouse Falls
A historic log fortification dating to the 1856 Indian Wars has collapsed in a windstorm, marking the end of a physical connection to the territory's early conflicts.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The old log blockhouse at the head of the Cascades of the Columbia river, in Skamania county, was blown down recently by a heavy wind. It was built in 1856, and sheltered many soldiers and civilians during the Indian wars. The blockhouse where the settlers were besieged by Indians in 1854 and relieved by a brave young soldier named Lieut. Philip Sheridan was at the foot of the Cascades, several miles below. No trace of it remains.
“It was built in 1856, and sheltered many soldiers and civilians during the Indian wars.”
The Columbia River Gorge remains a site of immense historical layering where physical remnants of colonial expansion are constantly at the mercy of the elements. While the physical blockhouse is long gone, the legacy of the 1850s conflicts continues to shape land rights and local memory in Skamania County today.
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